Bucs rookie Talib trying to overcome questions about his character

NFL - Tampa Bay Bucs

Even as a rookie first-round pick with a fat contract, Aqib Talib has to answer to his veteran Tampa Bay teammates.

"Gimme some popcorn!" ordered one such vet early on in training camp between meetings at the Celebration Hotel.

Talib, with his infectious smile, obliged.

In time, the Buccaneers hope all requests made of their future franchise cornerback are of this priority.

"They talk to me a lot," Talib said. "I'm trying to do the right things."

The Bucs say they knew what they were getting when they selected Aqib with the 20th overall pick in the April draft. The athleticism and ball skills he displayed at Kansas have flashed brightly during the Bucs' first 10 days of training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

The immaturity and poor decision-making that flagged Talib as a character risk heading into the draft showed up before that.

Talib, 22, tested positive for marijuana three times as a Jayhawk. At his introductory news conference in Tampa on April 26, Talib chalked up his collegiate indiscretions to youth.

"I'm a man now," he said. "All that stuff is behind me."

Yet before he signed his five-year $14 million rookie contract (of which more than $8 million is guaranteed) on July 25, Talib made headlines by fighting with new teammate Cory Boyd at the NFL's Rookie Symposium in California. He also reportedly overslept and missed a flight to Canton, Ohio, for a mandatory rookies function at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the Bucs, he has been late for team meetings.

It needs to be tamed. In a locker room where the likes of Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and Kevin Carter roam, it will be. Or else.

"We're the keepers of our team, really," said Barber, a 12-year veteran who Talib may replace one day. "Hey, he has enough pressure on him, with expectations as a player and those quote-unquote character issues. He has responsibilities, of course, but it's up to us to hold him accountable."

The Bucs have rules against hazing young players. They have unwritten rules, though, about indoctrinating rookies into the fraternity.

"We've had a pretty good system here as far as showing the young guys the ropes, how to do things and what accountability means," Brooks said.

"We have certain ways guys have to gain our respect, [but also] earn respect for themselves as to why they belong in the National Football League."

When General Manager Bruce Allen selected Talib, he did so with the confidence the Bucs would provide an environment to succeed at the next level. NFL scouting departments are known for being thorough, and Tampa Bay's is no exception.

In evaluating a prospect's character, the Bucs run the gamut of sources -- coaches, graduate assistants, trainers, academic advisers, etc. -- before submitting a report about what the player's life is like.

"Maybe he's good with the coaching staff, but not so great with the training staff. Maybe the advisers will see a kid that doesn't push himself hard enough," director of pro personnel Mark Dominik said, speaking in generalities about all the prospects the Bucs evaluate. "You get the information and put together the total profile."

Talib, 6 feet 1 and 205 pounds, aced the on-field stuff. He was a consensus first-team All-American -- joining a short Kansas list of six that includes Gale Sayers -- and topped his college career with MVP honors in an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. He collected five tackles, blocked a field goal attempt and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown.

It all made for Talib becoming the first cornerback in 22 years drafted by Tampa Bay in the first round. Expectations followed.

"How you isolate and ground yourself as a pro football player can be a challenge," Gruden said.

Had he been better at those things in college, Talib likely would have been a top-10 selection rather than the third cornerback off the board.

"He's going to be immature," Morris said. "It's my job to make him understand he's the focal point. No matter whether he's playing or not, they'll be looking at him."

Talib has been nearly impossible not to see during camp. He drew roars of applause opening weekend when he intercepted a pair of passes within five minutes of each other, one of which would've gone back for a score in a game.

He beamed at the thought of taking the field for his first NFL game Saturday night when the Bucs open the exhibition season at Miami.

"I'm having a lot of fun," he said.

"This is what I've wanted to do my whole life. It's a dream come true."